Mark Kennedy on Budget & Economy

Republican Representative (MN-6)

Authored the line-item veto, to take out bills' silly stuff

KENNEDY: We have to keep the approach of keeping spending under control. I'm the author of the line-item veto. I don't understand why we want to build a bridge to nowhere in Alaska, a rain forest in Iowa.

Q: But you voted for both those proposals.

KENNEDY: I voted for every single amendment to take out these crazy line items.

Q: But in final passage, those proposals were legislation you voted for.

KENNEDY: They were, because I support roads and key programs. But you ought not to hold a whole
bill hostage because there's silly stuff in it. We ought to have a line-item veto for the president to cut that junk out of there, hold Congress accountable, keep spending under control.

Q: But you have a Republican president, a Republican House, a
Republican Senate, and you have an $8 trillion debt.

KENNEDY: I would like the president to take a little bit more leadership on spending. We do need to push forward and make sure that we have strong fiscal measures to keep spending under control.

Source: 2006 MN Senate debate, on Meet the Press
Oct 15, 2006

Focus on controlling spending

We need to do a good job of controlling spending. I believe we need to continue to keep taxes low to create jobs and grow the economy. That path, of keeping the economy growing and controlling spending, is what we need to do.

Source: MN 2006 Senate debates - MPR interview
Mar 2, 2006

Deficit only ballooned because of 9/11 and military needs

Q: The deficit has ballooned out of control during Bush administration and Republican control of Congress.

A: 80% of that was because of 9/11 and the recession that followed, and the need to rebuild the military.
As well, w had things like Katrina. We need to step up as a country and meet those challenges. That's where the largest percent came from.

Source: MN 2006 Senate debates - MPR interview
Mar 2, 2006

Voted YES on restricting bankruptcy rules.

Vote to pass the bill that would require debtors who are able to pay back $10,000 or 25 percent of their debts over five years to file under Chapter 13, rather then seeking to discharge their debts under Chapter 7. Chapter 13, calls for a reorganization of debts under a repayment plan. A Debtor would be restricted, in this bill, to a total exemption of $125,000 in home equity for residences bought within 40 months of a bankruptcy filing. The bill also would establish permanent and retroactive Chapter 12 bankruptcy relief for farmers.